Catapult for game apparatus



Jan. 10, 1933.

D. D. LE;VlTT

CATAPULT FOR GAME APPARATUS '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

55' a9 58 o H a1 23 60 34 2 42 14 1a INVENTOR av 2- Lara?! BY ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1933.

D. D. LEVITT CATAPULT FOR GAME APPARATUS Filed June 16, 1931 2 SheetsSheet INVENTOR aux d \p. Zera'iz:

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1933 PATENT OFFICE DAVID D. LEVITT, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK CATAZEULT FOR GAME APPARATUS Application filed June 16, 1931. Serial No. 544,818.

My present invention relates to games and toys and more particularly to games in wh1ch a playing piece is projected upon or against a playing board or target, and it has for its object to provide an improved catapult for so projecting the playing piece or missile with or without the control of a coin apparatus.

The invention may be used, for instance, in

connection with a coin controlled target shooting apparatus, such as that disclosed in a companion application for patent of mine filed herewith June 1, 1931, Serial No. 541,269. In my said companion application, one or a plurality of targets are arranged within a case that may be shot at on a limited number of chances under a coin control that collects the projectiles fired and holds them subject to the insertion of another coin. The present invention has to do with the catapult or projecting device per se whether used in such specific game apparatus or otherwise, and the improvements are directed in part toward the firing mechanism; toward rendering the same accessible from the exterior of the case; and toward the construction of the loading mechanism. I

To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view through a game apparatus and a catapult as sociated therewith constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through the catapult in the plane of Fig. 1 but enlarged and showing the parts in another position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of that part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is atop plan view of the loading or transfer device detached;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the catapult partly broken away and similar to Fig. 3, except that it is viewed from the opposite side.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The arrangement of my improved catapult as applied, for instance, to a game apparatus such as is disclosed in my copending application before referred to need be only briefly described. Referring more particularly to the drawings, a case 1 having a key controlled door 2 at the back is closed at the front by a wall 3, an upper continuation of which is in the form of a glass at through which the operation of the device may be viewed. VVit-hin and at the top of the case 1 behind the glass 1 is a supporting cross bar 5 upon which is hinged at 6 a target 7 having the normal objective position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and the hit position shown in dotted lines in the same figure from which it is restored to the full line position by mechanism disclosed in my said other application, but having nothing to do with this invention.

The catapult herein concerned is mounted, in general, on the base 8 of the case and embodies a barrel 9 swiveled at 10 on a mounting 11 through the medium of a horizontally rocking carriage 12 manipulated by means of a handle 13 projecting through a slot 14 in the front wall 3 of the case. Directional 8 movement for aiming the barrel 9 at the target 7, or any one of a plurality of targets as may be arranged upon the supporting bar 5, is effected by means of this handle 13.

The said barrel 9 is directly supported upon a frame 15 to which it is fixed and which in turn is fixed upon the carriage 12. At its lower end is a chamber 16 constituted by the upper end of a relatively angular tube 17 A loadingor transfer device 18 reciprocates in this tube. It is of the form shown in detail in Fig. 4 and embodies a pocket 19 at its upper end and a lateral extension 20 at its lower end, which extension operates in and projects through a slot 21 in the said tube 17 When the loading device or transfer member 18 is in the position, shown in Fig. 1, the pocket 19 is opposite to or in register with a magazine runway 22 that leads from a hopper 23, into which the missiles are returned or deposited in a manner with which this invention is not concerned. Suflice it to say that the said missiles or projectiles are preferably in the form of heavy balls M and when deposited in the hopper or collector 23, they run by gravity into the magazine tube 22 and fill the same. When the loader or transfer device 18 has its pocket 19 in register with such tube, as aforesaid and as shown in Fig. 1, the leading or advance projectile hi falls into said pocket 19. Through mechanism hereinafter described, the loading device 18 next moves upwardly in the loading tube 17 to the position shown in Fig. 2, which presents the projectile in the chamber 16, while at the same time the base of the loader 18 holds the rest of the projectiles in the magazine 22 as shown in Fig. 2.

The bottom or rear wall of the chamber 16 is provided with a firing pin. opening 24 in alinement with the barrel 9. This firing pin opening receives a firing pin 25 on a hammer 26 pivoted at 27 in the carriage frame 15. It is actuated by and cocked against the tension of a spring hereinafter described and when released after cocking, the firing pin 25 strikes the projectile M with such force that it is driven out of the barrel 9 as a missile in the direction of the target 7. This is because the retraction or cocking of the hammer 26 withdraws the firing pin 25 from the chamber 16, allowing the projectile M to settle against the bottom thereof and hence the firing pin gains impact against the missile be fore it is itself stopped by engagement with the base of the barrel or the wall of the loading tube 17, as shown in Fig. 2.

The cocking and firing of the hammer 26 is effected in the following manner:

Also pivoted at 27 on the carriage frame 15 is a trigger 28 having an operating portion 29 projecting to the exterior of the case through a vertical extension 30 of horizontal slot 14 for the carriage swiveling handle 13 before described. It is adjacent to handle 13 and may be manipulated together therewith by the thumb and forefinger of the operators one hand, as shown in Fig. 2. Said trigger carries pivoted thereto at 31 a latch 32 which, when the trigger is raised, engages over a finger 33 on the end of hammer 26, as shown in Fig. 1.

As the trigger is drawn down, the said latch 32 brings the hammer 26 down with it, energizing the hammer spring, because a leaf spring 34 on the base of the carriage frame 15 acts upon a bell crank arm 35 on the latch 32 to cause this interlocking, the latch being arranged to ride upon a rounded portion 36 of the hammer when it moves upwardly into engagement therewith. At the limit of the downward movement of the trigger, while cocking the hammer, a projection 37 on the bell crank arm 35, operating through a slot 38 in the bottom of the carriage frame 15,

strikes an abutment 39 which releases the latch 32 and allows the hammer 26 to snap back and the firing pin 25 to perform its function.

The mechanism for supplying spring tension to the hammer 26 and actuating the loading transfer device 18 in timed relation thereto is best shown in Figs. 0 and 6. The hammer spring is indicated at 40 connected to the latter at 41 and to the carriage frame 15 at 42. The hammer is free on pivot shaft 27, whereas trigger arm 28 is secured thereto, and on the end of the said shaft 27 is fixed an arm 43. This arm cooperates with the underside of a laterally extending lug 44 on an arm 45 pivoted at 46 to the carriage frame 15. A spring 47 suitably mounted at 48 on carriage 15 engages the lug 44 to force the arm 45 downwardly. The end of the latter is bifurcated at 49 to engage lug 20 on the loading or transfer element 18 projecting through the slot 21, as before described. The action is this:

In the normal position of Fig. 1 with the trigger raised and locked with the hammer, arms 45 and 43 are in the dotted line position of Fig. 6. As the trigger arm 29 is depressed cocking the hammer 26, arm 43 rigid therewith raises lever 45 through lug 44 against the tension of spring 47 and carries the loading transfer element up to the position of Fig. 2, presenting a missile M in the chamber 16, and when the hammer is thereafter automatically released, as described, it strikes the missile so held with its firing pin 25 before the trigger returns and while the parts are in the full line positions of Fig. 6 with the missile supported as in Fig. 2. Release of the trigger arm 13 by the operators thumb restores it to the position of Fig. 1 and the other parts to the dotted line positions of Fig. 6 through the influence of spring 47 with another projectile ready to be transferred to the chamber 16.

I claim as my invention:

In a catapult for use in game apparatus, the combination with a base, an inclined barrel mounted thereon, a relatively angular loading chamber communicating therewith and h ving an opening therein in alinement with the barrel, and a lateral longitudinal slot, of a substantially horizontal magazine communicating with the loading chamber and provided with a collecting hopper, a transfer device reciprocatable in the chamber for carrying a projectile from the magazine into alinement with the barrel adjacent to the opening, said transfer device being provided with a projection extending through the said slot, a spring actuated hammer having a firing pin adapted to project through the opening and make violent contact with the projectile, a trigger for cocking and then releasing the hammer, a relatively transverse trigger shaft, an exterior arm at one side of the barrel and loading chamher engaging the projection on the transfer device, a spring acting on said arm to normally retract the transfer device into position to receive a projectile from the magazine, and an arm on the trigger shaft engaging the actuating arm to operate it against the tension of its spring for a loading movement of the transfer device when the trigger is operated.

DAVID D. LEVITT. 

